Blue Raiders Turn Toward C-USA Indoor Track and Field Championships

Saturday, October 30

Charlotte, NC

Middle Tennessee

Conference USA Championships

Photo by: Emily Cole/MT Athletic Communications

2/18/2022 10:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country and Track & Field, Women's Cross Country and Track & Field, Track & Field/Cross Country

By: Braydin Sik, MT Athletic Communications

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Blue Raider men's and women's track teams are heading back to Birmingham, Alabama this weekend for the Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by UAB on Saturday, February 19, and Sunday, February 20.

On the men's side of Conference USA, Middle Tennessee currently owns first place in five of 11 events competed in during the 2022 indoor season. Alaba Akintola has the best time in the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash after his fantastic weekend in Birmingham last week. Omamuyovwi Erhire holds the number one mark in both the high jump and long jump with lengths of 2.16 meters and 7.71 meters respectively. Benjamin Onyekwelu's 7.71 meters long jump from the Vanderbilt Invitational continues to be the best mark in C-USA.

On the women's side, the Blue Raiders are in a similar spot as the men in Conference USA. Currently, the top marks in four of 10 event types competed in are held by a Blue Raider. The transfer, Lyn'Nikka Vance, has continued to hit personal best throughout the season against top-level competition. Vance holds the top mark in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.47 seconds and the second-best mark in the long jump with a leap of 6.11 meters. Eusila Chepkemei currently has the best marks in the women's mile and 3000-meter with times of 4:49.47 and 9:32.56 respectively. Chepkemei's 2:09.24 in the 800-meter dash is currently the third-best mark in the conference, just three seconds behind first. Last, but not least, Esther Isa holds the best mark in the conference for triple jump with a length of 12.77 meters and is second in the high jump with a height of 1.79 meters.

Nationally, the men's team holds the top spot for a Conference USA team in the track and field index. The women currently hold the fourth-best spot nationally.

Last Time Out for the Blue Raiders
The Middle Tennessee track and field team placed a total of 23 student-athletes in the top five during the two-day Bulldog Invitational.

The freshman Alaba Akintola burst onto the scene previously running a 6.73 second 60 meter at the USA Jaguar Invitational. Akintola tied the number one time in C-USA in the semifinals last Friday with a time of 6.70 seconds and later on set the new number one mark with a personal-best time of 6.67 seconds, good enough for a second-place finish in the finals. On day two of the meet, Akintola swept the prelims, semifinals, and finals for the 60-meter dash. Akintola also set the new number one mark in the conference for the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.11 seconds.

The first first-place finisher of the weekend for the Blue Raiders was Eusila Chepkemei in the women's 800 meter with a time of 2:09.24, just six seconds off of the Blue Raider indoor record. Chepkemei set a Samford Open record in the women's one mile with a time of 4:49.47. Chepkemei's new time is a Conference USA best.

In field events, Isa, Vance, and Erhire all had first-place finishes throughout the Bulldog Invitational. Isa's 1.79 meters in the high jump tied her season-best mark from the PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational, keeping her in second in the conference.

Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Information
The two-day meet is currently scheduled to start at 9 a.m. on Saturday and will resume at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday. Awards are set to be presented on Sunday when the meet concludes around 3:40 p.m. central.
Conference USA Championship Site
Meet Site
Live Results
Day One Live Stream
Day Two Live Stream

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